BJP MP Pratap Simha accuses CM Siddaramaiah of 'targeting' his family
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP MP Pratap Simha on Sunday alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is out to finish his family only to 'politically rehabilitate' his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah.
He claimed that the Chief Minister is targeting him to pave way for his son to win the Lok Sabha elections next year.
Pratap Simha was reacting to his brother Vikram Simha's arrest in connection with the felling of a large number of trees in a farm in Hassan to grow ginger. Vikram was arrested on Saturday evening and was taken to the hospital for a medical check-up today.
"My brother's name was not there in the FIR earlier. He wasn't even absconding. Yet, he was arrested," the Mysuru-Kodagu BJP MP told reporters here.
Simha further claimed that the CM will not stop with the arrest.
"For your (Siddaramaiah) son's political future, you will make all the efforts to trample Pratap Simha. You will defame me and drag my family into this. You are trying to frame my brother," the MP alleged.
Simha said the Chief Minister is trying to rehabilitate his son Yathindra who vacated his Varuna seat for his father during the assembly elections in May 2023.
"For his son's future, Siddaramaiah is out to finish my family. Please arrest my elderly mother and sister also but I want to tell you that the people of Mysuru-Kodagu are with me," the MP said.
Rejecting Simha's allegation, Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said action would follow when trees worth crores of rupees are felled illegally.
The state Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara too discarded Simha's charges saying those who violated the law have to face the consequences.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
